Poster sessions 

There will be a permanent display area and the scheduled poster session is 60min. Contributions are invited in traditional poster format, 3D displays, materials and activities, software.  

Presenter: Diana Coben

In March 2001, the UK government pledged at least £1.5 billion over three years, as part of the biggest ever national drive to tackle poor reading and mathematics skills which affect up to seven million adults in Britain. The drive includes: free basic education for all adults who want it - to be available by calling a freephone telephone number for details of local courses; new measures to improve the basic skills of public sector workers, including the NHS and the Army; help for businesses to provide training for their employees with pilots of grants to cover National Insurance for low-skilled workers doing courses; a new university based national research centre which will help develop best practice in teaching adults the basics; a new national network of up to 2000 fully equipped learning centres at colleges, workplaces and schools, where courses will be provided; a new curriculum and standardised tests, with early introduction in nine pathfinder areas; improved prison education with a focus on basic skills, and the option that prisoners will have training as one of their licence conditions will be piloted; Jobseekers will have a mixture of rewards and penalties to encourage them to improve their basic skills.

This announcement follows the Moser Group’s review of adults’ basic skills (including numeracy) published in 1999. The Report, A Fresh Start: Improving Literacy and Numeracy, recommended a National Adult Basic Skills Strategy to include the development of Standards and a core curriculum in adult numeracy, along with teacher education to enable practitioners to deliver the new curriculum. With the implementation of the Moser Group’s recommendations, for the first time in England there is a National Adult Basic Skills Strategy, backed with serious money and coordinated by a new Adult Basic Skills Strategy Unit in the government Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) - and a ‘national curriculum’ for adults in ‘numeracy’.

This workshop will look critically at numeracy in the National Adult Basic Skills Strategy for England, comparing it with initiatives in other countries and exploring key questions, such as: What are the strengths and weaknesses of the National Adult Basic Skills Strategy in relation to adult numeracy? Is a national curriculum for adult numeracy a good idea? If it is, what do we think of this particular curriculum and the Standards on which it is based? What kind of teacher education would we like to see for adult numeracy? Is the vision of numeracy in the National Adult Basic Skills Strategy compatible with a vision of numeracy for empowerment and democracy?

Presenter: Janet Duffin

From my work with two apparently very disparate sets of learners: Pupils participating in the CAN (Calculator Aware Number) projects in the UK and non-numerate undergraduates in a university, I have found that these two groups share a propensity for being able to create their own personal mental calculating methods but, whereas the pupils are confident in their ability with numbers, the students are not.

In trying to identify the reasons for this somewhat curious anomaly, I have found that students comment about their own methods were revealing: Largely they tend to think that their own methods are ‘not the right way to do it’ and that the only right way is to be able to reproduce the standard calculating methods they had been taught at school. In consequence they have always employed their own methods secretly, sometimes by using them and then trying to set their answers down in the standard methods.

In general conversation with ordinary people in ordinary circumstances, I have also found that many, some without even realising it, also have their own personal ways of calculating. In this workshop, I would like to present one or two specific examples of such methods, showing a fascinating diversity and liveliness of imagination, before opening up the session to the investigation of participants’ personal approaches to some pre-chosen examples of specific calculations.

Prospective participants in this session are invited to think in advance of any ‘pet’ methods they use for mental calculating and be prepared to share these with others. My hope is that the effect of such a workshop and sharing and consequent enlargement of perspectives this provides will enable us all to feel that our own methods are an agent for both empowerment and democracy.

Presenters: Eigil Peter Hansen & David Kaye

The main aim of this session is to explore and encourage the integration and validation of the work of practitioners in the continuing work of ALM. This session is introduced jointly by:

I work in VUC (Adult Education Centre) in Denmark with a kind of ‘second chance’ course. At the VUC adults have the opportunity to learn mathematics (and other subjects) in which they did not succeed when they were younger. I introduce my students to simple mathematical models to motivate and encourage them to think in more abstract ways. My students question this, when they know other ways to solve the problems I give them. I will present and discuss the difficulties my students and I experience in this process.

I work in a further education college (technical and community education) in central London (UK). My main teaching responsibility is additional student support for numeracy and basic mathematics for a variety of college courses. A number of different models of delivery are used including open access workshops, small group support, team teaching and one to one sessions. My introduction will aim to identify the types of difficulties my students have with learning the number skills and mathematical techniques required for their main course.

Following our presentations we will encourage workshop participants to contribute, drawing on their own experience. As the workshop draws towards a conclusion we will ask a number of questions:

Can any of us identify one single change that would produce a major improvement for our students?

Can we see a way to study, research, and reflect on, the problems and contradictions we experience in a more structured way?

Can we identify a major research theme that is not being addressed (as far as we know!)?

Are any of us aware of any research results that need to be implemented on a much wider scale?

What are the social, institutional and financial barriers that we face in implementing change?

Our main questions and conclusions will be shared with the conference.

Topic-B

Presenter: Alison Tomlin

Dominant discourses of adult basic maths education are built on an assumption that students ‘need’ or can best learn maths through a curriculum directly relevant to their ‘everyday lives’ or the ‘real world’. This is true even for curricula which come from contrasting political positions. Maths educators within radical and critical discourses, seeking to empower students, may propose the use of materials which expose exploitation and injustice. Government-led initiatives may focus on household management, vocational skills and (possibly) citizenship as the contexts for maths education. These two apparently opposed discourses have in common the use of ‘real world’ contexts and a concern to ensure that learning contexts are relevant to students. We can infer from both discourses that ‘academic’ maths, or ‘decontextualised’ maths, is irrelevant and will not engage students’ interest.

I will present some data from a participatory action research project, including evidence of students’ engagement in a range of maths work, from a number investigation and work on subtraction algorithms (apparently ‘empty’ maths) to writing and solving word problems and actual problems from their own experience. I will also present students’ own conclusions on the range of curricular choices they think appropriate, and their strong challenge to tutors, and policy-makers, who assume we know what is ‘relevant’ for students. The evidence comes from student-written learning materials, classroom tape transcripts, tutor’s field notes, students’ writing about maths and a students’ conference.

The data supports an argument that meaning is discursively formed, so that students’ engagement with the material (and the potential for learning) depends not on the material itself, but on the discursive contexts of the work, including group relationships, prior experiences and the practices behind the production of the learning materials.

‘Academic’ maths can become the real world; and apparently ‘relevant’ materials can be meaningless. Hence I want to argue that the foundation for the distinction between ‘real world’ and ‘academic’ maths is unsafe - as tutors we cannot predict or define what is ‘relevant’ or ‘real’ for students.

Anne Abbott

Whitireia Community Polytechnic

Wellington, New Zealand

Paper-presentation

Presenter: Lene Østergaard Johansen

Denmark is a democratic society built on democratic values, everybody have the right to vote and to participate in the decisions taken in the country. As in many other countries we are discussing lifelong learning, and it seems, everybody should have the duty as well as the right to participate in further education. The latest news in Denmark is the reform of the adult and further education system. A new element of this reform is to strengthen basic skills such as reading, writing and mathematics. The reform comprises an additional education level, "Forberedende Voksenundervisning" named FVU or in English "Preparatory Adult Education". FVU will be offered to all persons over 18 who wish to improve their general skills to become better equipped for the labour market and as citizens in a democratic society.

I have had the opportunity to observe and follow a teacher-training course for teachers to be involved in FVU-programme. During the teacher-training course the participants were introduced to the term/concept numeracy. It became obvious to me how difficult it is to define and explain what, and how much this term "numeracy" includes. During the course there was a lot of debate about which subjects and mathematical concepts should be part of the new curriculum. Big and important questions appeared in the debate. What are the goals of numeracy teaching? What kinds of skills are important and necessary for humans to participate in a democratic society? Some of the participant introduced the old classical German and Scandinavian concept of "Bildung" as a goal and an argument for subjects in the new curriculum. Perhaps the concept of "Bildung" can appear as a strong argument for justifying adult numeracy education. In the last few years a lot has been written about adults and numeracy, adults and mathematics, democracy and mathematics, citizenship, lifelong learning etc. I shall try to analyze and compare parts of this material and discuss it in relation to the concept of "Bildung".

In the presentation I will discuss the meaning of numeracy in relation to the term literacy and the term mathematics. I also want to discuss the term "mathematical basic skills" in relation to participating in society. I shall try to define the concept of "Bildung" and by doing so I hope it will be possible to link numeracy education, democracy and citizenship using the concept of "Bildung".

Paper-Presentation

Presenter: Wolfgang Schlöglmann

The conference theme "Numeracy for empowerment and democracy" calls our attention to the relationship between society and mathematics. Numeracy is regarded as a mathematical competence which is, in principle, essential for all members of society. Mathematics is seen in an extensive form from simple rules for calculations to sophisticated theoretical concepts.

In order to analyse the reasons why and how mathematical competence is essential for all members of our society to satisfy the demands of occupational and everyday life, we are forced to investigate the various functions of mathematics in our society. Many of these functions from every day life,  such as economic calculations and election procedures, to major industry such as constructing airliners and controlling complex production plants) are the result of a long developments. To gain an insight into this complex relationship it is useful to have a look at the historical development. The use of mathematics has a long tradition in many cultures and has been closely related to the development of civilisation. The requirements of record keeping, economic planning and trade, for example, led to the development of mathematical methods, which are also important for the organisation of our democratic society. Mathematics has long been established as the theoretical basis for the natural sciences and, to an increasing extent, of the social sciences as well.

At the present time, mathematical theories and models are becoming increasingly important as the basis for a variety of forward looking alternatives, for example in simulating the planning of economic and technical fields, in production control, automation and construction, and  in general political and social life. This presentation is only able to give a brief synopsis of a long historical development. We hope to get more examples of how interwoven mathematical methods and many aspects of our society are. This can indicate which mathematical competencies are necessary to handle issues of  everyday life, to take part in democratic processes or to solve occupational problems.

Topic-A

Presenters: Roseanne Benn (UK) & Tine Wedege (DK)

As stated in the constitution of the research forum and the theme of this conference, ‘numeracy’ is a central theoretical construction in research, practice and politics within the area of ALM. The term 'numeracy' was introduced in the United Kingdom in the late 1950s as a parallel to the concept of 'literacy'. In one definition, numeracy has two attributes: (1) ‘at-homeness’ with numbers and functional skills; (2) some appreciation and understanding of information which is presented in mathematical terms. (Cockcroft, 1981). There have been many other definitions (see Benn, 1997) generating a lively debate between educational planners and researchers in the English-speaking countries (the United Kingdom, the USA, Australia etc) about the content and meaning of the concept of 'numeracy'. (Yasukawa & Johnston, 1994; Evans, 2000). In recent years in Denmark, there has been an on-going conceptual and educational construction of numeracy, translated into Danish as ‘numeralitet’. (Lindenskov & Wedege, 2001).

Several studies examine numeracy in society. They represent, however, different approaches to the subject area, for example: an objective perspective (society's requirements of numeracy) versus a subjective perspective (adults' individual need for numeracy); or a numerical skills approach (numeracy as basic skills) versus a numerate competence approach (numeracy as an everyday competence).

We propose to focus on concepts of numeracy in the on-going exploration of the theoretical frameworks for adults learning mathematics in this topic group.

Benn, R. (1997). Adults count too. Mathematics for empowerment. Leicester: NIACE.

Cockroft, W.H. (1982). Mathematics counts. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.

Evans, J. (2000). Adults’ mathematical thinking and emotions– A study of Numerate Practices. London: Routledge/Falmer.

Lindenskov, L.; Wedege, T. (2001). Numeracy as an analytical tool in adult mathematics education and reseearch. Centre for Research in Learning Mathematics, Publication, no.31.

Yasakawa, K.; Johnston, B. (1994). ‘A numeracy manifesto for engineers, primary teachers, historian ... a civil society –can we call it theory? Proceedings of the Australian Bridging Mathematics Network Conference, Sydney University, pp.191-199.

The debate about the identity of the new research domain (‘Adults Learning Mathematics as a community of practice and research’) and about developing theoretical frameworks started at ALM4 in 1997 and continued through ALM5 to ALM7 in 2000. (See the ALM proceedings: Wedege, 1997; Wedege, Benn, Maasz, 1998; Benn & Maasz, 1999; Benn & Wedege, 2000)

Topic-A

Presenter: Mark Schwartz

I propose to directly address the conference theme by showing how numeracy is empowerment and that inherent in empowerment is democratic behavior. Empowerment will be demonstrated by audience participation in mathematical activities, and a reflection on these activities to show that math is not magical or mysterious but very controllable and predictable. Empowerment isn’t simply capacity to do mathematics; rather it is confidence in being able to gain control over the various contexts of one’s life.

Empowerment will be shown to be the essence of individual growth as well understanding of mathematics. Empowerment is the capacity to observe, evaluate, and utilize information in order to see patterns and relationships that operate in seemingly chance, chaotic or random flows of information. Participants will discuss the spectrum of behaviors and the perception of these behaviors from luck, chance, and randomness to control, predictability, and certainty.

Fundamental to empowerment is equity of authority, accountability and responsibility. The issue of decentralized participation and decision-making in society (core empowerment themes) versus the meaning of empowerment in a teacher/student dynamic will be addressed. The typical classroom is not "democratic" but through numeracy where people begin to understand and use patterns of information, it can be shown that democratized classrooms can be very effective learning contexts. But numeracy is not automatically democratic in the classroom. The classroom context can be structured such that all participants are exploring problems, issues, concerns through an orderly process, but not in an authoritarian mode. Tasks can be set such that the teacher and students share the exploration of not only completing the task but also deriving strategies for approaching the task. Creative modes of behavior can be examined and students can understand that they can generate mathematical algorithms, and although these may not be the classical most efficient path, the algorithm will be valid and reliable in any context for similar tasks.

Empowerment is not something that is given to people. If this were the case, then it must be understood that it can also be removed. Further, those who "give" empowerment tend to not like being disempowered. Thus the critical component of empowerment, as demonstrated through numeracy, is an individual’s capability to internalize behaviors that can provide increased control and predictability in one’s life. Numeracy is pattern recognition; observing and summarizing relationships that can be used to gain control of events. It reduces the feeling of not being in control of events. As one gains control, a sense of empowerment grows.

Abstract following 

Presenter: Jaine Chisholm Caunt

I am the Professional Development Educator for the Workplace Basic Skills Network, based at Lancaster University and I would like to offer a contribution to the topic discussion on "Mathematics Education for the Workplace" This will start with an initial description of my role within the Workplace Basic Skills Network, which is a membership organisation for basic skills practitioners delivering in the workplace across the UK. I have facilitated a workshop on numeracy at our annual conference for practitioners in the workplace. I would like to give an overview of current practice in the UK, of how practitioners integrate numeracy teaching into specialised basic skills programmes and other vocational training. This will consider the impact on current Government Initiatives on Basic Skills, the changes to the qualifications structure and the impact of the new Numeracy curriculum. I also intend to provide case studies of current best practice and showcase materials that have been developed by and for numeracy practitioners.

I would also like to consider ways in which numeracy teaching and learning can be an empowering and transformative process. Numeracy can be considered as socially and culturally constructed, and I would support Kerka’s (1995) view that "Critical numeracy means that learners empowered with functional skills can participate fully in civic life, sceptically interpret advertising and government statistics, and take political and social action."

I shall highlight the way that financial literacy and welfare rights awareness programmes can enable learners to develop numeracy skills in a relevant and exciting way, raising awareness of their rights, and encouraging participation in active citizenship. Many employers in negotiation with their employees have established credit unions within the workplace. This venture enables easy access to savings and loan facilities to people who are frequently marginalized by mainstream financial organisations; and the management by its own members, facilitates a democratic process of financial support and encourage financial literacy and numeracy within the workplace will be reviewed.

Presenter: Henk van der Kooij

Mathematical Literacy (ML) is a key issue in modern society. The term ML is used instead of numeracy, because the latter one allows narrow-minded interpretations by policymakers and politicians, like 'the ability to add and make basic calculations' (Noss, 1997).

In the OECD/PISA project, ML is defined as "an individual's capacity to identify and understand the role that mathematics plays in the world, to make well-founded mathematical judgements and to engage in mathematics, in ways that meet the needs of that individual's current and future life as a constructive, concerned and reflective citizen" (OECD, 1999).

Although the PISA project is about assessment of ML for 15-years old students, it provides a good basis for thinking about a definition of ML for citizens and workers in the modern society of today and the future. ML should not be described on the basis of mathematical contents in the first place, but on mathematical big ideas and mathematical competencies. Examples of these big ideas and competencies are found in the PISA-document.

References:

OECD, (1999) Measuring Student Knowledge and Skills; A New Framework for Assessment. Paris

Devlin, K. (1997) Mathematics, The Science of Patterns. Scientific American Library, New York

Noss, R. (1997) New Cultures, New Numeracies. Inaugural Professorial Lecture, London

Onstenk, J. (2000) Op zoek naar een krachtige beroepsgerichte leeromgeving. CINOP, The Netherlands

Affective Factors in Adult Mathematics Learning

Presenters: Patricia Alexander & Poppy Pickard

Brush Up Your Maths (BUYM) is an intensive short course which has been pioneered at the University of North London for the last five years. Many mature students do not have the required level of mathematics to enter higher education. BUYM enables students to demonstrate that they can reach this necessary level. It also provides an opportunity to prepare for study after a period of absence. Students work in small groups as well as receiving one-to-one tuition.

However, for some students to undergo a BUYM course meant they had to overcome/confront their negative anxiety about mathematics. This raises the issue of empowerment, since one of the functions of a compulsory mathematics component is that it acts as a filtering mechanism’ in terms of access onto their desired course and ultimately their employment potential.

For some students, BUYM was perceived as a means to an end whilst for others an opportunity to ‘relearn some mathematics’. Last years cohorts are now nearing the end of their first year of their undergraduate course.

This paper discusses the extent to which students’ previously held views about mathematics were challenged /altered /reinforced by their BUYM experience.

The student view was canvassed through a questionnaire and a follow-up interview with a smaller group. The findings are discussed with particular focus given to the student’s reflection on their mathematics competency and their views about the usefulness and purpose of BUYM. Finally the paper reviews the pedagogy of BUYM in the light of these findings.

Topic-C

Mathematics anxiety and perceived competency to teach among student teachers

Presenters: Alan Bowd & Patrick Brady

Mathematics anxiety (MA) may be considered a sub-construct of anxiety relating to specific situations, not restricted to the classroom, involving mathematical problem-solving (Hembree 1990). There is abundant research describing the negative effects MA has on subsequent mathematics learning and performance for a variety of populations including university students (Bessant 1995), however there is little work pertaining to students enrolled in faculties of education and training to become teachers. This is a serious omission since teachers with low perceived self-efficacy in mathematics and who experience significant mathematics anxiety may not only be less effective pedagogically but may transfer negative attitudes toward mathematics to their pupils.

The present study describes levels of MA among a sample of 357 Canadian student teachers completing their final year of training in a university education faculty. As part of their professional experience during the year students took part in a six week field practicum before participating in this study. The chief objective of the study was to examine a hypothesized relationship between MA and perceived competence to teach in general and to teach mathematics specifically. Participants completed the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale, MARS (Richardson & Suinn 1972) along with a questionnaire measuring relevant background experience, perceptions of school mathematics experience and beliefs about mathematics. Open-ended comments were also solicited and coded.

MA was found to be associated with a variety of factors, particularly negative experiences with mathematics in school, especially at the secondary level. It also clearly related to gender with women (about 70% of teacher candidates) tending to score higher. Perceived confidence in teaching mathematics at the elementary level and confidence in one’s teaching ability in general where also negatively correlated with MA. The practical implications of these findings for elementary and secondary teacher education programs are explored.

References:

Bessant, K.C (1995). Factors associated with types of mathematics anxiety in college students. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 26, 327-345.

Richardson, F.C & Suinn, R.M. (1972) The mathematics anxiety rating scale: Psychometric data. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 19, 551-554.

Hembree, R. (1990) The nature, effect and relief of mathematics anxiety. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 21, 33-46.

Presenter: Beth Marr

Competency based assessment paradigms often lead to judgements restricted by narrowly defined and segmented lists of behavioral and cognitive elements. This project sought to elaborate a more holistic notion of competence in adult numeracy. Interviews with experienced adult educators revealed that affective factors related to learners’ self-image and growth in confidence played as great a role in teachers’ judgements of competence, as the cognitive and skill based elements explicitly written in accredited certificate documents. Factors such as learners’ use of the knowledge outside the classroom, and their increasing independence and self awareness were seen by teachers as indicators of real growth in numeracy competence.

Emerging from the data was a model of holistic competence comprising several complementary and interconnected aspects revolving around a central change of ‘identity’ or alteration of ‘self concept’. The majority of teachers interviewed talked of a shift away from an ‘I can’t …’ type of person towards an identity as a numerate individual.

Paper Presentation

Presenter: Milton Fuller

At Central Queensland University a foundation program to prepare adults for tertiary studies is offered. The program, Skills for Tertiary Education Preparatory Studies (STEPS) has been in place for 14 years. The mathematics component of STEPS, Transition Mathematics (TM) has been designed to enable students to enter a range of university programs. In addition TM is presented so that it makes an essential contribution to empowering the student to build confidence as well as competence in using mathematical skills as part of the life long learning process.

This paper will outline the development of Transition Mathematics in terms of the research behind its progressive improvement over the lifetime of the STEPS program. In particular the paper will address:

The nurturing of confidence in learning based on a background of mathematics being initially perceived as "difficult, dull and boring".

The challenge of empowering students to fully utilize their own learning styles to become a successful life long learner.

The need to relate mathematical skills to the life experiences of the learner.

Paper Presentation

The new English Adult Numeracy Core Curriculum - a critique

Presenter: Dhamma Colwell

The first compulsory Adult Numeracy Core Curriculum in England is currently being introduced by the Department for Education and Employment. Many of the statements in the curriculum appear to model progressive mathematical educational practice. Its stated aims are to develop learners’ ability to formulate problems as well as to solve them and to communicate the results. There is an emphasis on learning the language of mathematics and on making mathematics meaningful by relating it to students’ lives.

However, the rationale for the curriculum has a deficiency perspective of adults’ abilities: those who do not perform well on a selection of ‘school mathematics’ ‘problems’, dressed up as everyday tasks, are deemed to be incapable in their everyday lives. The model of numeracy and teaching that the curriculum uses is the traditional one of the hierarchy of computational skills found in the school curriculum as a set of ‘building blocks’, which can be applied to everyday life. The curriculum also demands that the context of their everyday lives be brought into the classroom by students to be used by tutors for teaching mathematics. This model conflicts with much recent research on everyday cognition which sees learning as participation in practice and knowledge as inextricably embedded in activity and therefore problematises the notion of abstraction and transfer of knowledge from one situation to another.

There is no recognition that adult students’ needs are different from those of children: that they have knowledge and skills which should be recognised and validated, which do not necessarily correspond to the levels of the school curriculum; that many adult students have very negative feelings about learning mathematics; or that it would be valuable for them to work on developing their study skills.

Rather, the curriculum is an instrument for centralising authority and control over teachers and students, rather than one for empowerment and democracy. Although it purports to aim to meet the needs of individuals, the reality is that the intention is to fit adults into a pre-determined structure.

Discussion: what would an adult numeracy curriculum which promotes empowerment and democracy look like and does it exists anywhere in the world.

Poster

Teaching adult students numeracy and mathematics

Presenter: Richard O. Angiama

The theme of this paper is “Teaching adult students numeracy and mathematics”. The paper argues that the practical applications of being numerate, is to aid the teaching and learning of mathematics to adult students. The paper suggests that mathematics, more than any other subject, requires very careful teaching. How should we as adult educators teach mathematics so as to support adults functioning satisfactorily in their work and everyday lives? How can teachers of mathematics help adult students deal with mathematics anxiety? How do teachers of mathematics transform instructional practice to better serve adult learners’ needs? How can a teacher of mathematics facilitate our adult students from passive learners to active agents of their learning process? Will learning about statistics and probability enable our adult students to view their world more critically and encourage them to ask more questions? What are the most effective ways for adults to acquire important mathematical skills and abilities?

These are some of the questions important in this paper and invites the participants attending the 8^th Adults Learning Mathematics – A Research Forum (ALM-RF8) – Conference, to express their views in whether they think these constitute a basis towards building bridges, facilitating transfer.

Adult students of mathematics need to be encouraged to explore new horizons of learning to seek out the next level of knowledge and to face the unknown. If mathematics is presented in a noon-threatening way, with adequate provision made for those people who want to study the subject, it could lead to a much more numerate society with considerable benefits for industry.

Presenter: Jeff Evans

Much recent work reported to ALM has emphasised the importance of affect, emotion and feelings among adult learners and users of quantitative ideas (see papers presented by Colwell, Duffin & Simpson, Safford, and Schloegmann, in ALM-6 Proceedings; Evans, 2000b). This reinforces the attempts of researchers elsewhere to take account of the fact that adults are feelingful, and thinking and learning are emotional activities. This growing emphasis on emotion reflects and is supported by increasing attention given in the social sciences and educational research to the influence of culture and society, language, and the body.

Researchers in a wide range of fields, ranging from neurology, through psychology and sociology, agree on the need to clarify and deepen our understandings of affect and emotion. I find substantial agreement among researchers in these fields that affect can be understood as comprising beliefs, attitudes and emotions (McLeod, 1992); and that emotions can be analysed as having physiological, behavioural, and feeling components (Evans, 2000a). Given that much of our evidence about emotions comes from the use of language and discourse in transcripts of interviews and group interaction, I adopt a provisional characterisation of affect and emotion as ‘charges’ on ideas (or on the terms in which they are expressed). This characterisation allows me to suggest several types of indicator for emotion to be found in transcripts (or videotapes). Examples will be given from interviews with adults.

I hope the discussion will treat issues from the presentation, as well as questions about the role of emotion and motivation in the context of recent policy concerns such as Lifelong Learning, employability, and ‘trainability’ (e.g. Bernstein, 2000).

References:

Bernstein B. (2000) Pedagogy, Symbolic Control and Identity: Theory, Research, Critique, revised edn., London: Taylor and Francis.

Evans, J. (2000a) Adults’ Mathematical Thinking and Emotions: A Study of Numerate Practices, London: RoutledgeFalmer.

Evans, J. (2000b) ‘Adult Mathematics and Everyday Life Life: Building Bridges and Facilitating Learning Transfer’, in Coben, D., O’Donoghue, J. and FitzSimons, G. E. (eds), Perspectives on Adults Learning Mathematics: Research and Practice, Dordrecht: Kluwer.

McLeod, D. (1992) ‘Research on Affect in Mathematics Education: a Reconceptualisation’, in Grouws, D.A. (ed.) Handbook of Research in Mathematics Education Teaching and Learning, New York: Macmillan, pp.575-596.

Paper-presentation

Presenter: Betty Johnston

Just as the map is not the territory, so the number is not the value. In this paper I want to examine some examples of how we use numbers to condense information, and in so doing reduce complex social and natural situations to orderly, powerful but often simplistic forms. It is important for teachers and students of numeracy to be able to look critical at the idea that numbers give us definitive information about social situations. Just because we can allocate numbers to activities or trends - learning, research, health, employment, poverty - does not mean that we know very much about them, unless the meaning of the numbers is held up to scrutiny. In this paper I will describe some issues that arose out of a research project on the numeracy practices of young unemployed people in New South Wales, Australia. In particular, I will examine some of their practices of measurement and how context determined the kind of measurement that they deemed to be appropriate. To see measurement as a social process means that we see factors such as communicability, portability and precision influencing our students' choice of unit, system or process. I will argue that like the concept of genre in writing, measurement may be usefully understood as a range of strategies from which more or less appropriate choices can be made. As with genre also, it could be argued that the more decontextualised the strategy, the more highly valued it is by our society. All these issues have implications for teaching, and I will try to tease out some of them.

Paper-presentation

Presenter: Donald Smith

Typically chronic gamblers, particularly players of electronic gaming machines, have poor mathematical understanding. Treatment of problem gamblers has concentrated on psychological aspects other than mathematical understandings. Typically, mathematics teaching about statistical distributions relevant to an understanding of long term gaming outcomes is accessed a long way up the hierarchy of mathematical knowledge, by specialised mathematics students, not by general learners. Specifically designed mathematics education programs are needed to communicate understanding of the long term outcomes of gambling on unfair games. This work continues the theme presented at ALM7 that we need to develop teaching of the consequences or significance of some more advanced mathematical knowledge to lower level learners.

Paper-presentation

Presenters: Terry Maguire & John O’Donoghue

Empowerment is a word that is redolent with connotation and as such its use can give rise to differing interpretation. For the purpose of this paper empowerment is defined as the act of taking away demotivators or barriers in the system (Persico, 1991). Arising from a national survey of tutors of numeracy in Ireland, the authors propose a three-stage model to provide a basis on which to discuss the development of empowerment as a democratic process, involving three main stakeholders in the Irish Educational system, i.e. the government, the practitioners and the learner. The main features of the model include:

Stage 1: Engendering Empowerment through policy

The authors assert that government policy and priorities must recognize that numeracy is not a single concept that can be incorporated within literacy or be strongly guided by the school mathematics curriculum. There is a need for a systematic and democratic exploration of the nature of numeracy and development of nationally agreed definitions and framework.

Stage 2: Empowering the practitioner

The importance of quality training that will empower the practitioner to engage in good practice for teaching adults mathematics and at the same time facilitate empowering mathematics in their own students is discussed.

Stage 3: Empowering the learner

The necessity for the learner to be able to recognize the opportunities for learning that are available; to actively participate in directing their own learning and to realize that they are the center of the learning process, is explored.

Workshop

Presenters: Laura Carroll & Sarah Kowal

How does television and video multiply opportunities for adults to practice math for a range of purposes? How could multimedia materials be used to strengthen teaching practice? We will raise these questions and provide opportunities to discuss such curriculum issues as the pros and cons of an iterative and recursive curriculum versus a sequential one, of informal versus formal learning and the role of mixed media in adult numeracy and literacy learning.

Join us during this interactive session that will demonstrate how television, video and the Internet can be used to reach and teach adults the numeracy and literacy skills they need. You will hear about a nationwide adult learning service available in the United States that harnesses the power of multimedia for use in both formal and informal educational settings. Come critique a magazine-style television show, TV411, that uses popular television genres? comedy, documentary, celebrities, animation - rather than standard educational TV, to engage adults in lifelong learning activities and practices. Also view and discuss how video clips from movies and/or commercials can be useful learning tools. You will see how a multimedia approach to quantitative literacy learning can peak and retain learner interest, build on skills and concepts that adults already know and/or use in everyday life, and reduce the negative attitudes about mathematics that many adults share. Finally, you will hear about the formative and summative research around this kind of innovative educational programming.

Participants will meet TV411's Laverne (a recurring character in the television series) in a video segment on Estimating a Job (estimating the cost of a painting job and figuring out the take home pay) and in a segment on Probability and Breast Cancer (using statistics and charts found in a breast cancer brochure to explain the concept of probability). Participants will also preview a math lesson on our new web site. Participants will engage in a hands-on activity to design a maths lesson plan that incorporates video, web, and print materials. You will have the opportunity to discuss how pop format media can be used to present explicit and embedded instruction of mathematical concepts (e.g., part/whole relationships, direct and inverse variation, ratios and probability), problem-solving strategies and attitudes about mathematics.

Presenter: Inge Henningsen

Why gender?

Life histories are important for the learning of mathematics. Thus, women and men - even more than girls and boys - must be expected to approach mathematics from different perspectives, to encounter different difficulties and to bring a different potential to the classroom.

With a highly gender segregated labour market mathematics in the work place will, on the average, be different for women and for men. Studies of possible interactions between gender, occupation and age could shed interesting light on adults and mathematics.

Maths anxiety is significant for adults learning mathematics. Again, one would expect men and women to have different problems if only because of the different expectations society imposes on men and women. Not being able to do mathematics is very identity threatening for a man, while women traditionally have been allowed to shrug their shoulders and do something else.

The proceedings of ALM comprise many important studies of maths in typical female occupations (nursing, weaving, needlework). Additional knowledge might be gained here by introducing a gender perspective i.e. comparing male and female nurses, male and female textile workers etc.

In this workshop, I will try to give a number of concrete instances, where I see gender as an important agent in adults relationship with mathematics and numeracy, inviting the participants to reflect with me on the pitfalls and possibilities of gender in ALM.

Workshop

Competence based math in modules

Presenters: Harrie Sormani and Ben Hermeler

Paper-Presentation